Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-01-01
,eiiners and Gamblers at LeadvilIe

from Cbe OdteiD (ad66.l 0uSStJe.
1t is not strange that there is gambling
lin these camps for to most of those ell
gagged in it, mining is simply gambling.
Many man tells me, 81 have put into the
! ground every dollar L could save, but
never made dollar from it yet. My turn
will come some day." 1t seems no worse
{, to them to risk everything on the throw
Apf card than on the thrust OF spade.
by night they repeat in the saloons their
occupation by day in the mines. GAM
a bIers IN cards claim that these specula-
"a tors might as we'll lose their money to
:&them as to other gamblers in stocks. 1t
a ls hazard everywhere, and the air is i'm
$pregnated with speculation as with ozone,
N Only for the few who have the capital to
purchase all knowledge, to compass all
risks, TO furnish all machinery, and en-
dure all delays, can it become legIti-
mate business. Such ones may, possibly,
De as safe In this mining business as in
any other.
Yet the keenest may be imposed on.
An old California miner told me of an ex-
nnpert assayer who had avoided every
mare. He had the habit of taking into
\ he mine he was to test bags, in which he
ikAefully deposited the specimens he
Na5 ad, tying, labelling and sending them,
~ Aparrying them in the cars to his own
t&& His reports gained implicit be-
H3eH hence the greater desire to deceive
m. A man once follower HIM to the
Ain with $50, and bribed the porter of
Ehe sleeping car. into whose charge the
bags had been committed, to leave them
with him for half an hour. He then, by
means OF fine metallic syringes injected
into the bags certain solutions-chlo-
rides, think-of gold and silver, and re-
turned them unopened to the porter's GUS
tody. The assayer, unsuspicious, tested
every sample In bulk to find the amount
OF silver and gold, and made a very san
guine report. On the strength of this, the
mine was bought of those whose agent
the injector was, and placed under charge
of the assayer. AS soon as work was be-
gun the latter found, with horror, that he
bad been imposed on. For weeks, as nv
informant told me, he drove on, with his
hair standing on end, determined to
strike some new lead which should JUS
tify his report. At length, much lower
down, ne "made tind," wnich exceeded
his first claim, and then he was satisfied,
The gamblers, like the miners, are not
unfrequently of college education from
fine Eastern families. They are not
wholly bad. Their plans have miscar-
ried, their capital is gone, and they are
east on their wits for a living. Other
In have preyed on them, they turn and
fey on other men. But my friend, who
lis pastor OF the little church around the
corner, tells me that for the last two years
he has had from two to twenty gamblers
at his Sunday evening lectures.
"Why don't you come TO us some time
to help pay your salaryW said one OF
them to him.
81 never ask any one to help paw nv
salary; that is purely voluntary mat
! ter"
A few days later it was found that the
little church needed repairs. 1--WE want
new paper and hxtures," be said to the
gambler. "What can you do for us?''
"Draw up a paper and leave 1t with
Ame." In short time the paper was re-
burned, with 1925 pledged by the
amblers and S25 added by Jew. Whenf
had been paid in and the improve
|ents were made the contributors turned
hat to see their work. They may have
ybuilded better than they knew.